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The Best Brussels Sprouts You'll Ever Have

Wow, I'll let this recipe speak for itself; take a look...The Best Brussels Sprouts You'll Ever Have
By Joy Cho of Oh Joy; photos by Bonnie Tsang

Growing up, I never actually had brussels sprouts because my parents only knew how to cook Thai food. But I had heard friends at school talk about them as this terrible vegetable that their moms made them eat. Brussels sprouts get a bad reputation for being bitter and boring, but when roasted, they're pretty amazing. Ironically enough, in the last few years, Brussels sprouts seems to have made a resurgence on restaurant menus as chefs are redefining this vegetable into something that's seriously delicious. My husband and I enjoy these at least once a week, and I love adding a touch of my Thai heritage to the mix. We're huge garlic fans too, and always throw in some extra cloves to roast which is an amazing extra touch of flavor and texture. Here's my go-to recipe...

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Garlic with Thai-Inspired Dressing
(Adapted from Momofuku's recipe)
Serves 2-4 as a side dish

You'll need:
For Brussels Sprouts & Garlic:
A bag of brussels sprouts (about 1 lb)
Olive oil
8-10 cloves of garlic (I like the pre-peeled packets to make it easier)

Cut brussels sprouts in half, length-wise, and toss in a bowl with garlic and enough olive oil to lightly coat all pieces.

Place brussels sprouts with flat-side down (garlic can be tossed in any direction) on a shallow baking pan.

Bake until outer leaves are dark brown and appear crispy. Depending on the size of your brussels sprouts, this could be anywhere from 25-45 minutes, so start watching after 25 minutes and add time as necessary. Then, make a note of the timing for the next batch.

Make dressing while the sprouts are in the oven. Simply combine all ingredients and stir until sugar has dissolved. I like to put it into a small tupperware container and shake it up. Then, you already have the extra dressing in a container to save for next time. Once the brussels sprouts are done, pour into a bowl and lightly toss with dressing. You won't need all of the dressing, so it's great to save for later for your next batch. We've even added the dressing to some roasted potatoes! Thanks, Joy and Bonnie!

This sounds so good! Usually I just toss them in olive oil and sea salt-- in fact, I think most veggies are so great like this when roasted, but that thai-inspired sauce might just take it to the next level! Thanks for sharing!

I make a good recipe in the summer where you just toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried mustard, and then grill them on skewers. And it's also good to do the basic recipe above, but instead of the Thai dressing, just throw in some diced dried apricots and chopped pistachios, then serve on a small bed of Greek yogurt (sounds weird, but trust me). Such a good veggie!

Gotta try this. Brussels are my favorite veggie (of the moment), and I love cooking them for people. So many folks have bad memories of them, that presenting it as a side properly can totally blow their mind. My uncle-in-law *hated* them with a passion his whole life. After he tried mine he said "for the first 48 years of my life I thought I hated brussels sprouts. And then I tried yours, and now I love them."

He's a bit of a picky eater when it comes to veggies. Turning him was a proud moment in my cooking life.

I hate to admit that I LOVE brussel sprouts! When I was a freshman in college they served them in the dorm cafeteria and I swear I was the only one who ate them. This version looks soooo much better than the dorm ones ;) can't wait to try them!

Mark Bittman has an amazing recipe for cooking Brussels sprouts with figs, bacon, and a splash of balsamic vinegar that is amazing. Even better if you caramelize the bacon beforehand with a mix of brown sugar and balsamic:)

i agree, brussels sprouts are on practically EVERY menu nowadays, and i'm totally not complaining! loving every second of it (FYI, new yorkers, JoJo on upper east side has an AMAZING dish with shredded brussels sprouts)

we make a similar sauce using fish sauce here:http://www.beyondthestoop.com/2012/01/first-sauce-in-new-blender-spicy-lime.html

but when we have meat drippings, they are SOO SOO good with the drippings, maple syrup, apples, and walnuts, found here:http://www.beyondthestoop.com/2012/06/save-your-meat-juices.html

everyone needs to at least try sprouts, you will be shocked at how amazing they can be!

I'm so glad that Brussels sprouts are "in" now. I've loved them for ever and many people just look at me like I have three heads when I tell them. Look who had great taste all along, sukkas. I'll be adding this to my sprouts repertoire

I'm pretty sure that brussel sprouts are one of my favorite veggies. My favorite is roasting them with balsamic and maple syrup (http://lollingabout.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/foodie-friday-maple-balsamic-roasted-brussels-sprouts/). My husband and I fight over the leftovers!

Brussel sprouts appeared on the table at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year. I resisted as a child, but I'm glad my parents insisted I have a bite each time. I love them now, but for me, they were an acquired taste.

Might have to try this. I have always looooved brussels sprouts - they're my favorite veggie. Funny since I don't like bitter foods much, but I guess I just don't find them bitter. Same goes w. olives... I adore them... but many people find them bitter.

Any suggestions for a good substitute for the Fish Sauce that would still bring in Thai flavors? My husband LOVES Thai food but hates fish, so I would need to use something else. But I've never used Fish Sauce before so I don't know what would make a good substitute. Thanks!

I love to cook but have never actually attempted brussel sprouts before-I may give this a try! Was the original recipe made with butter and the olive oil is an alternative? It looks like butter in the picture but I don't see it in the recipe. Just curious!

How funny, I had burssels sprouts for lunch today! I usually throw them in a skillet with some garlic and bacon. We've recently tried brussel sprouts risotto, which was divine - I was very wary about it in the beginning, though :) Thanks for sharing Joy's recipe!

Oh my goodness. I love Brussels sprouts and am always looking for ways to lure my family in to liking them as much as I do. I have tried roasting with lemon zest and poppy seeds and braising with cream a la Orangette, but this looks amazing! (I really am enjoying this series!)

I just used fish sauce for the first time the other day in a recipe for Pad Thai. Long story short, it smelled like something that's too horrible to be mentioned here. And it bombed out our whole house. I don't think I'm brave enough to try another fish sauce recipe just yet. :(

this looks amazing. i love all of these "the best...you'll ever have" posts. I use the pasta one basically weekly, and it's my boyfriends #1 favorite dinner that I make. I hope a "the best sauteed kale you'll ever have" comes soon because i need some serious help in that department!

Even in Brussels, where I am from, kids hate Brussels sprouts ;-)But then you get reasonable and discover that they are delicious if well prepared. I use to cook/roast them with some potatoes and bacon, sometimes with a touch of vinegar. Mmmm !

I read this post yesterday and have been looking for something different. So for dinner last night I prepared these as a side to our meal. Everyone was interested and my 13 year old who pretty much picks out all vegetables from his food, he ate 6 without having to be asked(forced) they smelled so good. Got up this am and the house has a pleasant smell from them. They were so good, everyone loved them. Husband told me 3 or 4 times how good dinner was last night and I think it was the brussel sprouts that put it over the top! Thank You!

omigosh - so timely. i was at trader joes this week and saw these BEAUTIFUL stalks of sprouts, but wouldnt have had a clue what to do with them. decided against buying them because i had no recipe! now i do. but, in the meantime, ive also realized theyd be GREAT decor in a vase too :)

I love these! Inspired by the casual mention of potatoes, I did a 50/50 mix of small red potatoes (had to parboil them as they take longer to cook) and sprouts. Excellent with a poached egg on top. Doing them again tonight with roast chicken for company. Yumm.

This has always been one of our favorite dishes - got this recipe on Epicurious a few years ago and now the only way my kids and hubby will eat brussel sprouts is if we oven roast them :) They're a staple in our house. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry we just throw some olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt and brussel sprouts together and roast them. But this recipe is a favorite.

I love this recipe. It really opened up a whole new world of brussels sprouts for me! I wrote a post about your recipe on my blog today - http://ibroughtwine.com/2014/05/20/make-friends-with-brussels-sprouts/